Moonlit Reunion

Zhao Songyan was a hot-tempered young man who had been in many fights and had certainly seen blood before. But... this wasn't a fight at all—it was killing. Fights were always heated and passionate, never this kind of silent scene that seemed to carry murderous intent. The man pressing someone's head down, who now looked over without a word, made Zhao Songyan's heart instantly leap into his throat.

Zhao Songyan had never killed anyone, nor had he seen others kill. At the end of the day, he was still a youth, so now his legs felt weak. Though his mind stubbornly insisted he should hurry and help dispose of the bodies, his body remained frozen in place, unable to move as he watched Mei Zhuyu release his grip and walk toward him.

Following the burly servant who slid limply down the wall with his gaze, then turning to the approaching Mei Zhuyu, Zhao Songyan shuddered. A sudden, uncontrollable thought struck him—could this Mei Jia Dalang be planning to kill him too? Because they'd had that conflict earlier, and he'd cursed at him, so now he was here to settle the score!

It probably wasn't possible, but Zhao Songyan couldn't suppress the thought, because the expression on Mei Jia Dalang's face as he approached was terrifying—dark, cold, making one feel he might press his head against the nearby stone wall and slam it hard at any moment—

"Sorry."

The terrifying Mei Jia Dalang stopped before him and said these words. No head pressing, no wall slamming.

Zhao Songyan: "...Huh?"

Mei Zhuyu had no idea what horrifying scenarios were playing out in his mind. He'd simply encountered this familiar young man and, recalling yesterday's awkwardness, came over to greet him—after all, he was Wu Zhen's friend.

"Yesterday, I didn't mean to embarrass you. I truly don't drink well. My apologies," Mei Zhuyu said.

Zhao Songyan finally emerged from his imagination, sheepishly realizing he might have overthought things. After witnessing this man coldly kill two people without hesitation and now chatting so casually, Zhao Songyan found he couldn't summon any of his original disdain. Now he just felt afraid, his voice trembling slightly.

"N-no problem, I should be the one apologizing. I... Zhen-jie scolded me, told me to apologize..."

As soon as Zhao Songyan spoke these words, the suffocating atmosphere laced with blood immediately dissipated. He was almost dumbfounded to see Mei Jia Dalang's expression shift to one of surprise and delight as he asked, "She told you to apologize to me?"

For some reason, Zhao Songyan felt his tension ease, and his words flowed more smoothly. "Yes, Zhen-jie said I shouldn't have lost my temper at you. It was my fault." Having actually said it, Young Master Zhao found apologizing wasn't so hard after all. Then he remembered the two corpses behind Mei Zhuyu and added with quiet, firm complexity, "Don't worry—you're Zhen-jie's person. Even if you've killed someone, I won't spread it. Right now, let's deal with these two bodies first before anyone finds them."Zhao Langjun felt he had been quite decent and righteous, but to his surprise, Mei Jia Dalang frowned upon hearing his words and said, "Those two aren’t dead—just lightly injured. According to our dynasty’s laws, fatal brawls warrant punishment. These two attacked me without cause, and in self-defense, I retaliated, but I certainly didn’t take their lives. We’ll report this to the nearby patrol guards, have the case documented, and by tomorrow, a judgment and penalty can be issued."

Staring at Mei Jia Dalang’s stern and upright demeanor, Zhao Langjun belatedly recalled that this man held a position in the Ministry of Justice—and was even a Director.

"Haha, is that so?" Zhao Langjun could only force a dry laugh.

The matter was resolved exactly as Mei Zhuyu had described. The guards examined the two unconscious men in the alley, and in the meantime, Mei Zhuyu effortlessly drafted a detailed case record, reconstructing the events, then signed and sealed it before handing it over to them. The clerk who had accompanied them watched in admiration as he meticulously completed the document, leaving with a face full of reverence as he carried the record away.

Zhao Langjun, who had witnessed the entire scene, felt as though he had been smacked in the face by the Great Legal Code . In the end, he slunk away along the wall. Before leaving, he specifically searched for Lü Langjun nearby, only to find the man had long since vanished—likely having fled the moment he saw Zhao Langjun appear, sensing trouble.

"Hmph, useless Lü dog!" Zhao Langjun spat, shaking off his earlier humiliation and puffing up with the arrogance of a young noble once more. He mounted his horse and swiftly galloped away from the scene.

He was going to complain to Sister Zhen!

Wu Zhen wasn’t at the music house today. She was at a training ground frequented by Huang Langjun, competing in mounted archery with the man Huang Langjun often spoke of. After some searching, Zhao Langjun finally found her, arriving just in time to see her standing almost upright in the stirrups, firing an arrow that struck the distant straw target marked with a red circle.

The spectators erupted in cheers, and Zhao Langjun’s eyes lit up as he joined in the applause, rushing to the viewing platform to watch the match with the others.

After the competition ended, Wu Zhen dismounted and exchanged a few words with the burly man she had been competing against. The man cupped his hands in sincere admiration, but Wu Zhen merely waved dismissively before leaving the training ground.

Zhao Langjun eagerly rushed up to her, circling around excitedly as he praised, "Sister Zhen, you were amazing! That target was so far, and your position wasn’t ideal—yet you still hit the bullseye! That was incredible!"

Wiping sweat from her face, Wu Zhen chuckled. "Now you see how much you still have to learn. Don’t get cocky just because you’ve picked up a few basics—drop that bad habit."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Zhao Langjun nodded fervently, trailing after her like a shadow, nearly forgetting why he had come in the first place.

Only when Wu Zhen asked, "What brings you here? Something the matter?" did he suddenly remember his purpose. His expression immediately shifted to one of shared indignation as he tattled, "Sister Zhen, that dog Lü Zhi just took some men to ambush Mei Jia Dalang!"

At those words, Wu Zhen’s smile visibly faded, her brows knitting in displeasure. "Explain properly."Every time Zhao Songyan saw that look on Sister Zhen's face that signaled her anger, he felt a chill run down his spine. But then, remembering that Lü Zhi was the one about to face the consequences this time, he perked up and hurriedly explained, "Today, I went to apologize to Mei Jia Dalang as you instructed, Sister Zhen. But then I saw Lü Zhi following him with two servants. Those two servants cornered Mei Jia Dalang in an alley. I couldn’t just stand by and watch them bully someone under your protection, so I immediately stepped in to stop them. The two servants were taken away by the patrolling guards, but that bastard Lü Zhi slipped away when things turned sour—we didn’t catch him!"

Wu Zhen’s expression darkened. "Did Dalang get hurt? Was he beaten?" If he had been injured, she’d take her people and cripple Lü Zhi right then and there.

Zhao Songyan waved his hands. "No, no, not at all! He’s completely fine!" The ones who had suffered were the two servants he had pinned against the wall and roughed up, their faces splattered with blood.

Misunderstanding, Wu Zhen saw the proud look on Zhao Songyan’s face and assumed he had arrived just in time to protect her delicate little gentleman. Feeling somewhat relieved, she patted Zhao Songyan on the shoulder and praised him, "You did well this time. I’ll remember this in your favor."

Zhao Songyan didn’t catch on at first, too busy grinning foolishly at the praise. It wasn’t until much later that he realized Sister Zhen might have misunderstood the situation. He hadn’t actually done anything—it was Mei Jia Dalang who had handled those two.

"Uh, Sister Zhen, actually, Mei Jia Dalang—"

Wu Zhen was deep in thought and didn’t notice her subordinate’s expression. She simply said, "Dalang might look fierce, but he’s actually very mild-tempered. If he were bullied, he wouldn’t even make a sound. Just looking at him, you can tell he doesn’t know how to fight. If it weren’t for you, he probably would’ve suffered this time. Well done—Sister Zhen is pleased."

Mild-tempered? Doesn’t know how to fight? Zhao Songyan’s expression twisted with complexity again, but in the end, he swallowed his words. Better not say anything. If Sister Zhen hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she wouldn’t believe him anyway. She might even think he was trying to stir up trouble. And what if she actually preferred delicate, scholarly men? If he spilled the truth now, he’d only end up offending both sides!

"Uh, Sister Zhen, should we gather some people and teach Lü Zhi a lesson?"

Wu Zhen shook her head. "No need. I have my own plans—you don’t need to interfere." Taking people to rough up Lü Zhi would be simple, but if they kept tangling with him like this, it would never end. Who knew if that bastard, backed into a corner, might go after her little gentleman again next time? She needed a different solution.

Wu Zhen’s word was law, and Zhao Songyan didn’t dare act on his own. Besides, he knew Sister Zhen’s temper—once she was truly angry, she wouldn’t let Lü Zhi off easily. Though it was a shame he couldn’t take part personally, there’d surely be a good show to watch.

Wu Zhen bid farewell to the others at the training grounds and hurried off.

As night fell, the Demon Market, silent all day, lit up once more with lanterns. Wu Zhen entered the market and headed straight for the square before Yanmen Gate, where she tapped a small drum. Soon, a crowd of demons gathered.

"Cat Official, what are your orders?" The leading figure, a green-robed demon adorned with hairpins, bowed deeply and asked.

Wu Zhen replied, "Nothing major. I just need a few minor demons to handle a small task for me."

At her words, the crowd erupted in eager responses, voices clamoring: "Cat Official, just give the word—we won’t fail you!" "To serve Cat Official is our honor—we’ll do whatever you ask!"Wu Zhen brushed aside a stray lock of hair that had fallen over her eyes and said, "I need a few of you with particularly frightening appearances to go teach someone a lesson. Don’t scare them to death—just half to death will do."

"Me! Pick me!" A short, elderly man jumped up eagerly.

Wu Zhen chuckled. "Old Rat, your face is far too kind and gentle—I doubt you’d frighten anyone."

The gathered demons burst into laughter. In the end, Wu Zhen selected a few lesser demons whose appearances were rather... unconventional. Satisfied, she nodded and assigned them their task. From that day onward, Lü Zhi’s suffering began.

Young Master Lü, having failed to teach his intended target a lesson during the day and even losing two of his hired thugs, was in a foul mood. Unable to sleep well into the night, he paced his room, cursing Wu Zhen. Fuming, he left his inner robe open and fanned himself aggressively as he ranted, reaching the point where he sneered that Wu Zhen was so old she’d surely die without ever knowing a man’s touch.

Just then, a strange crack sounded from above.

Still seething, he looked up—and his face went blank.

There, coiled along the rafters, was a long, shadowy figure with boneless limbs. Its inky, writhing hair slithered like snakes around the wooden beams, and from within that tangled mass emerged a flat, grinning ghostly face. The creature opened its mouth wide, unfurling a dripping crimson tongue that swayed toward him.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

Young Master Lü’s bloodcurdling scream pierced the night.